Rolf Devinci

 I picked up an example of the traditional Caucasus "long knife" recently from Reliks based out of Ontario Canada. http://www.reliks.com/merchant.ihtml?pid=1950 The Kindjal, produced by Windlass Steelcrafts, is a functional carbon steel Russian military version of the iconic blade indigenous to the central European steppes. Made famous by the Cossacks of Russia and the Ukraine the actual blade has a long linage dating back to the Roman gladius. "This style of weapon was indiginous to the Caucasus and Persia long before the Russian influence spread over that region. Most probably, the original configuration came from Rome. As far as I can determine, the kindjal was not necessarily a part of "Russian Cossack" regalia until after the conquest of the Caucasus c.1854..." Very similar to the Georgian Qama this version of the Kindjal is a light sword with a slightly curved blade placing it somewhere between a short sword and sabre. Originally des

Dropped by Nature's Cove yesterday to pick up some local Meadowbrook beef and pork when I noticed a new supplier of pastured, grass fed meats in the freezer. Pelly Foods is now being carried by the Cove with ground beef being sold in one pound blocks.In sealed,vacuum packed bags it is easy to see the deep rich color of the beef in stark contrast to the pink stuff you see in the grocery stores. "Pelley Foods is a socially minded local food distribution company that is based in Halifax and procures food from producers from across the fertile valleys and around the province...." http://pelleyfoods.com/ # The Gourmet Traveler sources from Pelley Foods...... It is an awesome thing to see local foods becoming easier to source. In light of the current beef scares and recalls it can only help Nova Scotian meat and produce producers find additional markets and distribution channels. Local is the way to go!  As a pre hockey meal I have cooked up the beef

"....the spear held great cultural significance to the Viking warrior, as the primary weapon of Odin, the king of the Norse gods and the god of warfare, was the spear Gungnir..."                                                                                             Wikipedia "The spear was the most commonly used weapon in the Viking age. It was often the choice of someone who was unable to afford a sword." http://www.hurstwic.org/history/articles/manufacturing/text/viking_spear.htm Last month I was down to mother's farm doing some painting when I spied a rough hewned staff of wood that was previously used as a walking stick. It got me to thinking about the possibility of making a spear, specifically a Norse version as my reading of late had been about the Viking era. Sidebar - the Norse,as a culture, are greatly misunderstood. The Viking era only lasted about three centuries and was a period of raiding, expansion and piracy. Over population, la

Awoke to a beautiful Autumn morning on Thanksgiving Sunday without the rain that was forecasted for the weekend. That was a pleasant surprise and I just had to get outside to take advantage of the blue skies and sunshine. I opted to go exploring the local trails on my Norco hardtail. There are a surprising number of groomed and ad hoc trails in the West end of the city.It was a nice morning in the woods accentuated by the brilliant Fall foliage. The afternoon was spent with one eye on NFL football and the other on the roasting turkey all while drinking some red wine and house cleaning the shack. A visit from my sister, brother in law, niece and grand niece was a pleasant surprise. Couple more glasses of red and some conversation rounded out the afternoon till Thanksgiving supper. Usual fare - turkey and all the fixings. After eating and cleanup it was countdown to the ECBHL championship game. I have played ball hockey for many years but have to say thi

Fall has officially arrived with the start of Thursday night ball hockey. A small change this season as I will assume of role of full time goalie as we lost one of our usual goaltenders to a new job. Instead he will commit to a full time role in nets on Sunday which means I will then be the backup on Sunday afternoons. That works better for me anyway as I intend to continue to play with the ECBHL which hosts it's games on Sunday night. I definitely have some rust after the three month summer break out of the nets and it showed on the first night of the new 2012/2013 season. Factor in the new(to me) pads that are bigger( but heavier) than my previous ones and a new mask that will take some time to get used too.At least the fitness was there thanks to a summer of playing in the ECBHL, sprinting and bike commuting/cycling. I'm really enjoying the game this year. Finding the ECBHL last winter after randomly searching "ballhockey" on Facebook was perfect timing as it